AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When Mikel pulled back, his eyes blazed gold. He blinked, the color faded, and he huffed a laugh.
“She still watching?”
Violet peered around him, and sure enough, Miranda was looking right back at her, open mouthed, shock painting her features. She wasn’t the only one who seemed to have noticed them either. Violet wanted to laugh at the sight of the stunned townsfolk, pride bursting inside her for reasons unknown.
“Yep,” she said, popping the plosive, smirking up at him. “Definitelynot just your hand she’s interested in holding.”
“What then?” His eyes glittered with amusement, and she sensed him trying to call her bluff.
In one, smooth movement, she shrugged and leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips and run the heel of her hand over the fly of his jeans. He caught her and pushed her back but not before she felt the growing firmness of him. Mikel hissed out a breath through his teeth at the touch.
A clatter down the aisle got both of their attention. Violet looked around to see an older couple watching them, a small pot of paint rolling along the smooth floor where it had been dropped. Mikel sprang back, grabbed it faster than a human should be able to, and set it politely on a shelf within arm’s reach of the woman.
“Afternoon, Steven, Jill.” He cleared his throat and shrugged his shoulder. “Full moon,” he offered politely, as if that explained everything.
Violet barely contained herself when he turned back to the cart and wheeled it and her away. They only made it a few paces before she threw her head back and laughed.
“You’re trouble,” Mikel insisted while he was loading the truck.
She’d tried to help and had gotten shooed off twice before he’d snatched her up and plonked her on the tailgate and told her to stay.
“You like it,” she insisted, and the smooth bastard flashed his eyes gold at her before he disappeared to take bags of fixtures to the backseat of the cab, leaving her alone, light and warm with the way the day was progressing.
“Violet Page,” a voice said.
Shock. It ripped through her, stole her voice for a long moment, then Mikel’s arm was tight around her middle, his body half in front of her.
“Alpha Kane,” Mikel said.
Violet recognized the coolness in his voice instantly, and she tried to marryalphawith this man who’d sat at the dinner table in the mansion enough times in her life that she recognized him on sight, this man who was one of her father’s business associates—someone from the outside.
“No need for that, son. You know Kane is fine,” he asserted, but Violet caught the tightness in his tone.
He was slick, but she’d grown up around so much slick it was practically an oil spill, had eaten dinner with it since she was old enough to hold a fork. She knew this type of man, had heard his secrets and schemes while they thought her too young to pay attention. He was wary of Mikel, and his unease was palpable to her.
“Nice to finally meet your new young lady.” Then, he turned back to address her, and Violet held his eyes, face carefully neutral now because something about this screameddanger.
“You look awfully familiar, Violet. Have we met?” He was smiling, but there was knowing beneath, testing. She drew a breath, but Mikel was quicker.
“Been getting that a lot. Jack thinks she looks like the Moore girls, couple people have asked if she’s from that family.” His voice was cool, final, while his hand was tight on her waist. Violet took his lead.
“Sorry.” She shrugged. “Don’t think I’ve seen you around.” She squinted like she was considering, something in the tightness of Mikel’s body beside her bidding her to make the lie convincing. “Unless you’ve bought any furniture this last week? I’ve met so many people, it’s been a whirlwind.” She laughed at herself, and Kane’s face broke into a smile but only on the surface, and she was acutely aware that he watched her still.
“I guess not.” His gaze held hers for a second longer, and Violet knew if she was anyone else, her skin would be crawling.
Instead, thanks to years of practice with Magnus, she looked back at him unflinching until Mikel cut in.
“Best be going. Gotta get all this unloaded before dinner.” He gestured to the truck, and the spell seemed to break. Kane released her gaze and looked up at him.
“Absolutely,” he agreed. Violet smiled when he glanced back at her, then he addressed Mikel. “She’ll be an interesting addition to the bloodline. I appreciate you stepping up. No need for unclaimed in this day and age, such a waste.”
“Best choice I’ve made,” Mikel said gruffly, and there was something in there, a claim or a threat Violet couldn’t decipher.
The alpha bid them goodbye, and she could tell Mikel was thinking, slow and brooding, while he tied off all the lumber and checked it twice. He grabbed her off the tailgate and bussed her up into the passenger seat. Usually, she’d protest at being hoisted around, but the darkness clinging to him saw that she held her tongue.
They were out of the parking lot and pulling back onto the main street before finally he asked, “How do you know the alpha? Don’t lie to me.”
Her temper sat up and took note of the accusation in his tone, though she kept a civil tongue when she replied. “He’s been having dinner with my dad since I was a kid. Doesn’t come around much, few times in a few months then might not see him again for years. Been a year or two since he was last at the mansion, but it’s definitely him, and he knows I know it.”
